Honouring commitments to Indigenous, Métis, and Inuit learners

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015). Calls to action: Education in Honouring the truth, reconciling the future: Summary of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: 320-321.

October 31 – “Night of the Living Debt” Zombie Walk

Don your best undead dress and join us for a zombie walk to bring attention to the issue of student poverty. Or, show up for the after party at The Grad Club at 7:30pm. Refreshments will be provided.

We invite you to be thematic in your costume; wear your Western gear, a classic professorial jacket with elbow patches, or drag a book back behind you. Or, feel free to join for the walk or the after party without dressing as a zombie. Please be respectful in your selection of costumes, and dress for the weather.

November 1 – Trivia at The Grad Club

7:30pm The Grad Club

As ever, weekly trivia will take place Tuesday night. Come early to get a good seat, and look forward to some questions focused on student issues.

November 2 – Unity Breakfast

We invite SOGS members as well as campus and community partners to join us for breakfast food and conversation. Petition stations will be set-up to promote related issues.

For an introduction to the petitions that will be available, you can look at our Get Involved section.

November 2 – Graduate Peer Support

10:30 – 12:30 The Wellness Education Centre (UCC 71)

This week at Graduate Peer Support (GPS), we encourage you to discuss student poverty. How do you manage your finances or find deals to save money? Do you have a favourite meal you can make on the cheap? Have you accumulated debt to pursue your degree, and how do you feel about the debt you’ve accumulated?

GPS conversation is accompanied by coffee, snacks, puzzles, and colouring pages. We hope you find it a welcome mid-week break to chat with others about the grad student experience.

November 3 – Jorge Cham from PhD Comics

1:00pm Doors open (McKellar Room, Western Film)

1:30pm: “The Power of Procrastination” Jorge Cham lecture

2:20pm: Question and Answer with Jorge Cham

2:30pm: Screening of PHD Movie 2

The PhD Movie will be screened and Jorge Cham will be present for a discussion afterwards. This is a free event. Refreshments will be provided.

November 3 – IGSIC goes to the IESC Global Café

Get involved

There are plenty of ways to show your support beyond attending these events. Below are a list of ongoing petitions, surveys, and open letters that you can sign onto to support improving educational access and financial support.

This petition calls on the Canadian government to give priority to international graduate students in the application process for permanent residency considering the (work) experience international students gain while in Canada for their studies.

This survey, brought to our attention by President Chakma, asks about the role of universities in the future of Ontario. This is an opportunity to share your opinions about topics important to you, such as how universities can be more embedded in the community and more accessible.

Share your story

Whether you agree with these perspectives or not, we want to be sure you have space to share your story. The comments section on this page is open.

If you have a longer article or post you’d like to share, send it to advocacy@sogs.ca and request it be posted to the SOGS News page. We intend to share any and all stories shared with us this way, though submissions may be rejected in exceptional circumstances of profane or disrespectful language.

If you’re interested in a wider readership, consider reaching out to rabble.ca and their Campus Notes project that is funded by the CFS.